The dawn of the 21st century saw homeschooling become more popular than ever. Suddenly, it seemed like everyone was doing it. But that was not always the case.
For many years homeschooling was illegal, and in some cases, even punished. In this article, we’ll investigate why homeschooling was illegal in the past, flush out the turning points in the fight for homeschooler’s rights, and evaluate how things stand today.
What is Homeschooling?
Homeschooling is a type of education in which a student’s family takes responsibility for their education either full-time or part-time, with the help of a tutor or mentor if needed. Students still have access to core curriculum and specialized learning opportunities like those offered by traditional schools, but they are taking them outside of the traditional school setting.
Homeschooling has been around since the 19th century, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that it started to gain mainstream acceptance as a viable alternative to traditional schooling.
What Was the Attitude Toward Homeschooling in the Past?
In the past, homeschooling was often frowned upon, and in some cases, even outlawed. The prevailing sentiment in society was that education was best left to the experts in schools, and parents were not seen as fit for this task.
The idea of the “professional educator” was seen as the best way to educate children, and homeschooling was seen as a substandard, or even dangerous form of education.
Why Did Some States Ban Homeschooling?
In the past, there were four main reasons why states opted to ban homeschooling. The first was a desire to ensure that students received an education that was up to the standards of the conventional school system.
This meant having a proper curriculum, qualified teachers, and tests and exams to keep track of student progress. Without these standards, the state felt it was impossible to ensure quality education. The second reason why some states chose to ban homeschooling was that they wanted to avoid dealing with the potential disruption caused by homeschoolers.
Homeschoolers couldn’t be made to attend conventional classes, nor could they participate in some of the extracurricular activities offered by traditional schools. This was seen as a problem for the teachers, parents and school administrators, who had to find interesting activities for the homeschoolers. The third reason why states chose to ban homeschooling was the belief that all children should be educated by qualified teachers, and not by laypersons or untrained parents.
This was seen as an essential part of a child’s education, and it was seen as a fundamental way to ensure that children were getting the education they needed to achieve success later in life. The fourth and final reason why some states chose to ban homeschooling was to its perceived lack of accountability.
Many states felt that if parents were in charge of their children’s education, they would have no way of determining if the student was actually learning, or if the parent was simply letting their child’s education slide. This lack of accountability was seen as a potential loss to the state, as it would leave them with students who weren’t adequately prepared for the real world.
What’s Changed in Recent Years?
In recent years, attitudes towards homeschooling have shifted significantly. All fifty states now recognize homeschooling as a valid educational option, and many of the restrictions and regulations that were in place just a few decades ago have been rolled back or eliminated. This has given homeschoolers the freedom and autonomy to tailor their own education in a way that works for them and their families.
The public perception of homeschooling has also changed dramatically over the years. Previously, homeschoolers were seen as outcasts who were missing out on the best education available.
Today, however, homeschoolers are seen as thriving members of the educational community who are taking advantage of unique educational opportunities not available to conventional school students. Lastly, the trend of homeschooling has been on the rise in recent years. Homeschoolers make up an estimated 3-5% of school-aged children in the US, and their numbers have been steadily increasing over the past few years.
This shows that more and more parents are becoming comfortable with the idea of homeschooling and are willing to take the plunge.
What Are the Advantages of Homeschooling?
There are many advantages to homeschooling, including the freedom and flexibility that it provides families. Homeschoolers can design their own curriculum, which can be tailored to a student’s individual needs and interests.
They can also adjust their learning schedule to accommodate for personal commitments or challenges, such as illnesses or work obligations. Homeschoolers also benefit from being able to spend more one-on-one time with their teachers. In a traditional school setting, it can be difficult for a teacher to be able to give each student enough attention, but with homeschooling, the teacher is able to dedicate more time and energy to each student.
This can help students to develop better relationships with their teachers, and to be able to learn better and more effectively. Perhaps most importantly, homeschoolers benefit from being able to learn in an environment that is free from the distractions and negative influences of public school settings.
This can help to foster a more positive learning atmosphere, and to provide students with a more supportive and stimulating environment in which to learn and grow.
What Are the Disadvantages of Homeschooling?
While there are certainly many advantages to homeschooling, there are some potential disadvantages that should be considered. One of the main disadvantages is the lack of social interaction for homeschoolers, which is often seen as essential for healthy development. While homeschoolers can still participate in extracurricular activities and sports, they may not have the same access to diverse social circles as students who attend traditional schools.
Another potential disadvantage of homeschooling is the potential for parents to not have a full and proper understanding of the curriculum they are teaching. While a homeschooling parent may have a good grasp of the material, they may not be as knowledgeable as a trained teacher who has studied the topic more extensively.
This can potentially lead to gaps in the student’s understanding of the material and make it harder for them to transition to more advanced classes outside of their home environment. Finally, homeschooling can be quite expensive.
Not only do parents have to pay for curriculum materials and an adequate workspace, but they may also need to hire a tutor or a mentor to help guide their child’s education. This can put a considerable strain on family finances, especially for families with multiple children.
What’s the Current State of Homeschooling in the US?
Homeschooling is now legal in all fifty states in the US, with each state having its own set of homeschooling regulations. Most states allow homeschoolers to apply for scholarships and grants to help cover tuition and academic-related expenses, and some have even started to recognize homeschoolers’ outside of school activities, such as organized sport leagues, as a valid form of education.
In addition, homeschoolers are now able to participate in standardized college entrance exams, and many universities even have dedicated programs for homeschoolers to apply to. This shows that the acceptance and recognition of homeschooling in the US is only increasing, and that homeschoolers now have more opportunities than ever to gain a quality education outside of the traditional school system.
Conclusion
As we can see from the discussion above, there was once a time when homeschooling was illegal in many states in the US. This was due to various social, cultural, and educational concerns, as well as a belief that homeschoolers were at a disadvantage compared to their peers in public or private schools.
Fortunately, attitudes towards homeschooling have changed significantly in recent years, and today, homeschoolers are seen as perfectly capable and competent learners, with access to many of the same privileges and opportunities as their peers in the traditional school system.